From Rivers to Kaduna: The release of ‘Abido Shaker’

Recent theatrics in Rivers State, in which Sir Siminalayi Fubara released his powers, effectively shook the power base in the state and ensured that power changed hands, reinforcing the understanding of the power metrics between those popularly referred to as ‘Abuja politicians’ and state governors.
It also threw up a narrative that political power-mongers fail to understand. The Nigerian political firmament has, since 1999, been replete with the struggle for control and affirmation between political godfathers and their godsons.
And in such ‘fights’, the godson (incumbent) has always had the upper hand. This is principally dictated by the fact that the centre (Presidency) will always align with incumbent state governors for purposes of re-election. ‘Abuja politicians’ rarely have control of the electoral process because they do not control the delegates and state votes. On this, the governor is king.
With Rivers’ powers and political structure changing hands and now fully in the bag for Fubara, attention shifts to Kaduna where Nasir El-Rufai, the godfather of the incumbent governor, Uba Sani, had, during the recent Eid-el-Kabir celebration, told his supporters and friends that Governor Sani will “fall off like candy” and that would be “when he is done prancing.” El-Rufai is piqued that a report of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, which investigated “loans, financial transactions, and contractual liabilities of the state from May 29, 2015, to May 29, 2023,” put a bill of N423 billion on him as either misappropriated, embezzled or mismanaged. The final report of the investigation had listed El-Rufai, alongside some of his erstwhile commissioners and special appointees, as persons who must be held accountable for the amount and from whom the money ought to be recovered through prosecution.
This has no doubt angered El-Rufai. He is not happy that his political profile was rubbished by the outcome of the investigation. For this, his supporters, including the former commissioners, are up in arms seeking to discredit the findings of the House of Assembly. No one expects the former governor and his team to take the conclusions lying low. Thus, he has asked his followers to “support the governor and his cabinet members with prayers for them to do the right thing.”
Many people in Kaduna State also expect El-Rufai to do “the right thing” by taking the same pill he recommended for President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015 when he said the former President ought to face a probe over the management of the country’s ecological fund. He had said on May 30, 2017, that Jonathan could not take responsibility and ought to face a probe over his mismanagement of ecological funds. Read him: “While this is unfortunate and calculated to draw headlines, Dr. Jonathan strained to explain away a strange pattern of fund allocation.
But the facts are not deniable. They are in official records and cannot be erased by slinging mud at people…former President Jonathan is not a man who can take responsibility for anything… so, no one should be surprised that he is denying presiding over the skewed distribution of ecological funds.” (Ref: TheCable. May 30, 2017: Jonathan can’t take responsibility for anything).
It is suggested that as details of the “skewed distribution” of the ecological funds under Jonathan are contained in “official records,” so also did Kaduna legislators exhume “official records” to arrive at the findings contained in their final report. That perhaps may be the reason El-Rufai told his supporters not to “feel hurt with what is going on.” In politics, whatever goes around always comes around.
The release of the report on June 6 has been followed by public protests in Kaduna with some demanding that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) be invited to further review the report and to bring everyone indicted by the House to book. The voices of those asking Gov. Sani to make haste with the probe through the EFCC have also drowned out the voices of those questioning the integrity of the report and the probe. This is without prejudice to the fact that El-Rufai, had on May 29, 2023, while handing over to Sani, listed the debt profile of the state as including “N80.60 billion, $577.32 million” in domestic and foreign debts.
Interestingly, no one has said that the Kaduna State House of Assembly lacked the constitutional powers to investigate the administration and performance of loans taken on behalf of the people of the state by the immediate past administration. In other words, the House of Assembly acted within its constitutional powers to question how the state ended up with a huge debt profile. That is a legitimate question and one which the majority of the people of the state want answers to.
However, the former commissioners have categorically stated that “not a kobo, speak less of N423bn, was ever siphoned out of Kaduna State government coffers during our tenure.” This clearly shows that there may be a need for a third party to get involved. This is why the call to involve the EFCC is getting a wider appeal in the state.
There is a need for the report of the House of Assembly to now be handed over to EFCC for thorough review and consequential action. The foundation for this has already been established. There has been an investigation, an allegation and a denial. The issues no longer need to end as allegations. They also need not end as denials. There is a rational need to logically conclude the process by bringing in the EFCC to ask more questions and take prosecutor actions that could lead to recoveries.
Alternatively, would the former commissioners, and those indicted by the investigation, who naturally are uncomfortable with it, be willing to welcome a renowned firm of auditors to take a second look at the entire report, review the books of the state, review the operation and performance of loans collected by the state government during the period under review, and also, recommend further action towards a recovery, if need be, to put the state in a position to service the debts while also being responsible to its duties to the people? This may be a perfect way to clear doubts and re-establish the facts.
Whatever happens next, the relationship between El-Rufai and Governor Sani, like that between Nyesom Wike and Governor Fubara, is fatally fractured. And this seems the logical outcome of leaving office without relinquishing power. Students of power politics know that it never ends well. They also know that when the chips are down, the centre would work with the governor and toss away the ex-governor like candy.
One would expect El-Rufai to understand this and quit playing the ‘strongman of Kaduna politics’. The more he talks tough, the more resolute Sani becomes and the more he consolidates, especially as opinions about his first-year performance, even in the face of very poor finances, are generously positive.
As it now stands, the incumbents in Rivers and Kaduna have learnt that “power is not served a la carte.” They are well situated to “run with it” having grabbed it. The incumbents have powers, and they release them one at a time.